Before You Go: How to Leave a Route Plan (and Why It's the Golden Rule)

If we had to pick a single safety habit to recommend, it would be this: before heading out on any trek, tell someone who isn't coming with you exactly where you're going and when you expect to be back. It's simple, it costs nothing, and it's probably the habit that has saved the most lives in the mountains. If something goes wrong, the difference between a search that starts with accurate information and one that starts from zero can be measured in hours — and in a rescue, hours matter. A good route plan includes: the exact destination, departure time and estimated return time, who's in the group, and a time margin after which that person should start worrying and take action. On our guided outings, this plan is already on file with us — but if you're heading out on your own to any of these trails, adopt this habit anyway. It's free, and it's the simplest safety net there is.

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